The crescent moon is
one of the oldest symbols known to humanity. In fact, it is the symbol of many
ancient civilizations. In ancient Egypt, the crescent moon was a symbol of
Mother goddess Hathor and Saitic Isis.
How did the
crescent-moon symbol of Saitic Isis in ancient Egypt become the symbol of Islam
today? I have a strong conviction that it was Al Ma'mun, the 7th Caliph of the
Abbasid Caliphate, who reduced this ancient symbol to de facto symbol of Islam.
Al Ma'mun Ibn Harun
(the 7th Caliph of Islam) was the founder of Abbasid library in Baghdad (I.e.
House of Wisdom), where ancient Egyptian, Greek and Byzantine-Christian texts
on philosophy and astronomy were translated into Arabic - many of these translated
texts would later go into the formulation of the Quran (see the Mihna). An Avid
astronomer, Al Ma'mun built astronomical observatories in Baghdad, and in
recognition of his contributions to astronomy, the crater Almanon on the moon
was named after him.
That Al Ma'mun was
seriously commitment to astronomy is old and well-known in history. What is
hidden, however, is how the knowledge of astronomy influenced Al Ma'mun, and
the role astronomy played in the codification of the Quran. Let me attempt to
bring what is hidden to light with scholarly facts; so, follow me.
To an average Muslim,
the word "Quran" means "to recite" or "to read "
in Arabic. The only problem with that meaning is that Arabic is not really a
language but a script. What many people call Arabic is actually a dialect of
middle Aramaic/Syriac. Prior to 7th-8th century CE, "Syriac was the medium
of communication and cultural dissemination for Arabs and, to a lesser extent,
Persians. Primarily a Christian medium of expression, Syriac had a fundamental
cultural and literary influence on the development of Arabic." (Dave
Johnson). In other words, most words in
Arabic can best be understood in Aramaic/Syriac. So let's examine the word
"Quran" in its original Syriac form. In Syriac, the word "Quran"
is written "Qryn" (consonantal Alphabet), meaning "Pentateuchal
reader."
What is the
"Pentateuch?" Contrary to what we've been generally told that the
Pentateuch is the Greek word for theTorah (the first 5 books of Moses); wrong,
the Pentateuch is a collection of 5 books on horoscopic astrology, written by
Dorotheus in 1st century CE Egypt. The Pentateuch, also known as Carmen
Astrologicum, was believed to have been
written originally in Greek, but was
later translated to Palhavi (Persian), Arabic and English respectively -
Similar translation was also found in the Indian Sanskrit, called
"Yavanajakata." In 7th-9th CE Arabia, the science of astrology that
started out in Ancient Egypt for tracking time had become an astrological chart
system for reading minds. Arabic authorities started using the interaction
between the moon and the sun (crescent moon) to read their client's minds - the
general saying then was "the sun receives the moon by exaltation and the
moon receives the sun by domicile." I believe Al Ma'mun was one of these
Arabic Authorities. Al Ma'mun built 2 astronomical observatories in Baghdad,
but he might have gotten his inspiration from Kabba in Mecca. Kabba, in
antiquity, was an astronomical observatory post, ignorantly referred to by Muslims
as a pagan shrine.
I'm convinced beyond
reasonable doubt that Arabic authorities reduced the ancient symbol of the
crescent moon to de facto symbol of Islam because of their commitment to
astronomy. In fact, the Abrahamic Triad scriptures can be seen as a compedium
of astrological charts and messages, disguised in ancient fables!
References
The Hidden Origins of
Islam, "Karl-Heinz Ohling," 2009
Walter Williams,
"The Historical Origin of Islam," 2003
Lionel Pepper,
"The Pentagram Through History," 2008
David Pingree
"Carmen Astrologicum book 1," translated 1976.
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